April ­ June, 2019

Eastern Himalaya

Quarterly newsletter of the ATREE Eastern Himalayas / Northeast Regional Office VOLUME 5, ISSUE 2

Lake Teesta Teesta, at Reang, and at Kalijhora. These dams are physical barriers to the movement of the waters and sediment of the Teesta. Five swollen reservoirs stand where there once were narrow free-flowing channels. The original banks and floodplain of the are permanently inundated by up to 20 meters of water in some areas that historically a person could wade through unaided.

Today, the strong underwater currents of the Teesta make such activities unwise. The river’ s flow is stagnant at times. Water only moves between the dams at the behest of the dam operators to produce electricity. This has disturbed a river ecosystem that until recently was adapted to a predictable flood regime. Floodplain and upland terrain alike are now permanently inundated killing and displacing plant species that are ill-adapted for long periods of Reservoir near Kalijhora with researchers. standing water. Without a floodplain, animals that Photo by Dr. Joydeep Bhattacharjee lived in the floodplain have been displaced as well. Imagine for a moment, a river. Imagine a river in New floodplains have not been established in many the Indian Himalaya. It is a fast-flowing body of water reaches of the Teesta, because the stagnated flow fed by glaciers high in the mountains of Sikkim. The has failed to cut new banks. Instead, the Teesta river literally ice-cold water trickles from its sources and canyon walls simply slope into the water without gains momentum downhill as isolated streams. These interruption. streams on their downhill journey eventually meet on the path of least resistance. By this point the water volume and velocity of the emergent river causes it to It is hard to imagine that people once swam and cut a more direct path downhill. The water churns bathed in this river. It is hard to imagine this as a river and foams as it slams into rock faces carving out its at all. However, it is easy to imagine it as a lake. When banks. The river flows around rocks not yet broken- the dams are all closed that’ s exactly what the still, down twisting erratically in the channel forming rapids mirror like surface of the water implies. This means that of particularly violent waters. The river only picks up the river Teesta has been changed on a fundamental more speed as it descends the mountains and into level. Can the animals and plants of the Teesta river the hills. The river picks up sediments as it erodes some valley that are adapted to the Teesta that once was banks and deposits sediments as it builds up others. a river adapt to the Teesta of now that is a man The river continues this way until it reaches the base of made lake? the Himalaya and enters the plains. Once in the plains, the eroding force of the river is lost. Instead, the river drops all remaining sediments picked up along its course onto the nutrient-poor banks of the plains. Now, think of the river Teesta. The Teesta is no longer Alex Fields, this river. Graduate Student, Plant Ecology Lab, University of Louisiana, Monroe, USA The description above used to describe the river [colloborating with Dr. Nirmalya Chatterjee, Teesta, but after the construction of 5 dams along its ATREE ] reaches the Teesta has been permanently disfigured. [email protected] The Teesta river is now dammed in Singtam, Dikchu, at the river Rangit which is a major tributary of the Mapping biodiversity & bio-resources Regeneration of Oak forests in Sikkim through direct Seeding in Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayas A Pilot Project

Left: Germinated Oak seedling; Right: Monitoring plot of direct Oak seeding. Photos by Yojana Chettri

Vegetation Survey. Photo by Sonam Bhutia A TREE Regional office is working with Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee (KCC) , Yuksom in monitoring the outcomes of the direct B io­resources and Sustainable Livelihoods in Northeast is a large multi-institutional network seeding of Oak species pilot project. This was an project funded by Department of Biotechnology, initiative of GIZ Climate Change Adaptation- Government of India. It primarily deals with the Northeast Region Project and is being implemented mapping, and quantification of plants, animals and in collaboration with the Forests Environment and biological resources of North East India while Wildlife Management Department, Government of exploring entrepreneurship opportunities and Sikkim. product development of selected bio-resources. Our The monitoring team over the course of this work is focused on quantifying flowering plants and project managed and monitored the 8 sites where bio-resources in Sikkim, Darjeeling, North–Bengal and pilot seeding spots were established. 81 94 individual Western Assam. seeds of Quercus lamellosa, Quercus thomsoniana and For inventory and mapping of flowering plants Quercus pachyphylla have were directly seeded in over we are using 1 km x 1 0 m belt transects within each 2 hectares of oak forests. of the 6.3 x 6.3 sq km grids that the whole northeast The preliminary data over a little more than a region has been divided into. For Sikkim alone, we will year, show that the mean germination percentage be sampling 240 grids. Additionally, we are was 6.1 9%, of these the average survival rates of quantifying trade and use of biological resources by seeds was 73%. The average height of these people through pre-tested standardised seedlings was calculated to be 1 0.86 cm with an questionnaires at market and household levels. average of 2.61 leaves per seedlings and the Our work has taken us across twenty three forest average Root Collar Diameter of 2.65 mm. sites spanning from eastern Sikkim to Western Assam where we collected primary data on the basic structure and composition of forests. While surveying Vikram Pradhan & Yojana Chhetri the markets in Sikkim to understand bio-resource [email protected], [email protected] trade, we found an amazing diversity of products being transacted, ranging from food, medicines, handicrafts, cooking and fermenting agents. The household surveys reflected a high prevalence of Camera trapping of mammals in bio-resource use and knowledge that were inherently linked to numerous traditional and cultural elements socio-ecological landscapes of and food security of the local communities. We were strongly moved and inspired by the way such age- Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya old traditions and cultural practices are still maintained in Sikkim even while being part of a highly modern and commercialised world.

Arunima Sikder & Deeke D Tamang [email protected], [email protected]

Left: Litter of wild boars; Right: Chinese Pangolin at Seeyok Tea Estate amera traps were placed at seven sites C covering four tea plantation and three agro- ecosystems, in Darjeeling and Sikkim. 23 species of mammals were recorded during this field season. Among large sized mammals, the most commonly Bhattacharjee discussing the previous day’ s recorded species was the Northern Red Muntjac ‘muddiest point’ – anonymous notecards with Muntiacus vaginalis, followed by a Leopard Panthera topics/concepts/ questions that the participants pardus and Wild Boar Sus scrofa. Among medium sized were unclear about and wanted a revisit. An ‘entry mammals, the most commonly found species was the ticket’ was also used to quiz participants on a Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis, followed by reading assigned the previous day. A day was Malayan Procupine Hystrix brachyura. Others such as the earmarked for BYOD – bring your own data. This was Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata, Large Indian Civet extremely beneficial to the participants since they Viverra zibetha and Yellow throated Marten Martes were able to discuss their research projects one-on- flavigula were regular in occurrence in almost all sites. one with Dr. Bhattacharjee and get insights on ways Arboreal mammals such as the Northern Tree shrew of analyzing their data going forward. Towards the Tupaia belangeri, Malayan Giant Squirrel Ratufa bicolor, end of the workshop, Dr. Bhattacharjee was able to Irrawaddy Squirrel Collosciurus pygerythrus and Terai Gray introduce participants to more advanced and Langur Semnopithecus hector were also captured. All these contemporary modeling techniques used by ecologists, such AIC, BIC, etc. A pre-post workshop knowledge test was also administered. Dr. Bhattacharjee was able to share a gamut of resource material discussed during the workshop. Sarala Khaling, [email protected]

Left: Leopard; Right: Himalayan Goral Makaibari Tea Estate Meeting on the importance of comprise of four Near Threatened species, four White-bellied Heron in Kamlang Threatened species including the Critically Endangered Chinese Pangolin Manis pentadactyla and Himalayan Black Bear Ursus thibetanu. All these species are found in Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh different farming systems across the landscape.

Thangsuanlian Naulak [email protected]

Experimental Design and Data Analyses (using R)

Kamlang River meeting was organised on the importance of A White-bellied Heron and its status and threats at the Kamlang Forest Camp, Wakro on 08 May 201 9. This was targeted at the forest staff of the Kamlang th Participants at the workshop Tiger Reserve. On 1 4 of March 201 9 for the first time a White-bellied Heron was documented from the he Regional Office Eastern Himalaya -Northeast Tiger Reserver when it was photographed on camera T India hosted a weeklong workshop on trap placed at the bank of the River Tawa which was “Experimental Design and Data Analyses (using R) ”. specifically set up for the tigers as part of the All India The workshop was attended by 9 participants Tiger Census 201 8-1 9. including doctoral students from ATREE, Sikkim The workshop was attended by forest staff and University, and the WWF. The workshop was lead by 25 members of the Tiger Task Force. The key Dr. Joydeep Bhattacharjee, a Professor in the objective of the meeting was to sensitize the staff Department of Biology at the University of Louisiana, about the threat status of the species and the Monroe, USA. The workshop was split into a importance of surveying more areas in the Tiger theoretical and a hands-on practical part. During the Reserve so that the species can be conserved. morning half, participants were introduced to the core concepts that guide most commonly used statistical procedures. Post-lunch sessions were Takhe Bamin dedicated to getting participants familiar in carrying [email protected] out analyses using R. Most days began with Dr. Policy Consultation on High Altitude programme were organized involving local Grasslands community members and village children.. The key objectives of the programme were – i) to promote conservation of biodiversity; ii) to involve community members in documenting the richness of butterflies in Makaibari Tea Estate. 28 community members participated in the workshop. A trail of approximately 3 km length was used for the butterfly walk. Participants mainly included students and tea garden workers living in one of the tea estate villages. 20 species belonging to 5 families (Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae, Papilionidae) of butterflies were A workshop titled "Policy Consultation on photographed and identified during the workshop. Temperate Alpine Grasslands: Himalayan Of these, 1 1 species belonged to Nymphalidae. Perspectives" was held in Gangtok, Sikkim on April 29th and 30th, 201 9. The workshop was attended by 47 Aditya Pradhan participants from Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and [email protected] Kashmir, Sikkim and Uttarakhand, and included pastoralists/community members from rangelands Ladakh, J&K to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh and Humla in the Kailash Landscape of Nepal . We also Engaging school students to document had experts from ICIMOD participate and give a Pan Himalaya perspective about the rangelands. biodiversity, in District The policy consultation aimed to make a beginning in compiling information on the conservation & livelihood values of temperate-alpine grasslands that will feed into a national-level policy document on grasslands & promote their conservation, for sustainable use, biodiversity conservation, & climate change mitigation. The key outputs that emerged were related to policy guidelines on tourism & access to grazing in these landscapes. Rubin Sagar [email protected] e celebrated International Day of Biodiversity W with students of St Stephen’ s Academy, Kaffer and Sadhu Sunder Singh High School, Dabling Raising awareness through butterfly walks from , . Kafer and Dabling villages are located in a remote corner of Kalimpong district and all the in Makaibari Tea Estate, Darjeeling households are dependent on farming for their income and subsistence. 1 35 students and teachers from both the schools actively participated in the event. The programme objectives included the theme of the day-‘Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health’ . We oriented the students on identifying, observing and documenting biodiversity elements around them specifically documenting pollinators, birds and medicinal plants. A tour of the nearby private forest, medicinal plants nursery and cardamom agroforestry was organised where 7 species of birds and 1 5 species of insect pollinators were documented by the students. akaibari Tea Estate was established in 1 859, M and became the first tea estate to be Vikram Pradhan certified organic in 1 988. 70 % area of the tea estate [email protected] is covered by forests. A butterfly walk and awareness ATREE's mission is to promote socially just environmental conservation and sustainable development by generating rigorous interdisciplinary knowledge that engages actively with academia, policy makers, practitioners, activists, students and wider public audiences. ATREE’s Northeast/Eastern Himalayas Office has a direct presence in the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas and works with a range of local partners in the other states of northeast India.

For more information contact Dr. Sarala Khaling Rohit George Regional Director [email protected] [email protected]